


You're Makin' Me Trip (My Heart Skip-Skip The Beat)

by VintageOT5



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: I may write more of this, Kid Fic, M/M, but I want to know if it's worth it, museum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-17 11:32:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2308103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VintageOT5/pseuds/VintageOT5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing is, Harry really does want to have kids one day. He just figures he'll have a little more help in panic moments then than he does on uncle-nephew outings now in the middle of children's museums.</p><p>Or the one where Louis works at the children's museum and Harry needs child assistance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Makin' Me Trip (My Heart Skip-Skip The Beat)

**Author's Note:**

> I was with my little brother at the children's museum when I had this little daydream of Louis in an over-sized museum worker polo, helping with some of the problem children...and I had to act on it. So here we are. Title is from Bridgit Mendler's "Top Of The World". I can totally keep going with this story, but I'm not sure if it's worth it or if anyone will keep reading...let me know! :)

"Michael, where are you?"

Amidst all the childish squeals and laughs and screams of the other kids, an extremely flustered Harry Styles heard a small replying cry of, "stuck, Uncle Harry!"

Harry sighed in relief and exasperation as he caught sight of the wispy blonde curls of his nephew up above. This was the last time he let his sister sucker him into taking her son to the children's museum. Ever. The day had been a nightmare. Okay, the ball pit area and the construction playset hadn't been bad at all, and he was okay with getting a little wet in the interactive water exhibit, and this forest-themed playground had started out well enough...actually, the day had been great. But now Michael was saying he was stuck in the climbing maze, and Harry knew it was stupid of him, but whenever little kids were panicked, he became ten times more panicked than they were.

"There you are, Michael! Come on down, baby!" Harry called in what he hoped was a happy-sounding voice. He had a sinking feeling that he was being too optimistic, hoping that just asking the three-year-old to come down would be enough.

And his suspicions were confirmed when Michael turned and looked at him with tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes.

"Stuck, Uncle Harry! Stuck!"

Harry sighed and ran his free hand through his hair in frustration. Dammit. Breathe. Breathe. Be the adult. Be the adult. Think this through.

He looked at Michael more closely. The little toddler was about halfway through the climbing maze, about an equal distance from the top and the bottom. He didn't look trapped or in a tight spot, either. Harry watched as another little girl climbed past Michael, giving the boy an absent glance as she passed by.

Harry pointed to the little girl. "Look at her, Mikey! She's climbing up! You wanna follow her out?"

The boy shook his head violently, curling up into a little ball and sniffling. "Stuck."

Great. Harry bit his lip and moved closer to the maze. It wasn't too big, and Harry was tall enough to reach up and touch the mesh curtain acting as a see-through wall nearest to Michael.

He laid his hand flat against the curtain. "I'm right here, bud, okay?"

"Get me out?" Michael asked tearfully, touching Harry's hand through the curtain.

"I'm trying, baby, I'm trying."

Yeah, trying not to lose his shit and scare Michael even more. Harry took another deep breath and held it, trying to think faster. Gemma was going to skin him alive if he couldn't get the little boy out. And life sounded really difficult to live without any skin.

"Listen, bud," Harry tried to say in his most soothing voice. "If you climb down, I'll let you sit on my shoulders and we'll play airplane. You like doing that, don't you?"

"Stuck, Uncle Harry!"

Harry couldn't help it; the panic was setting in. "Come on, Michael, I know you can make it up to the top or down to the bottom! I'm right here, I'll make sure you're okay."

"Stuck!" The boy sniffed, looking heartbroken.

Harry wracked his brains for something, anything, he could say to get the boy out. Bribe with ice cream? Threaten? Pretend to walk away? What could he do?! See, this is why he was scared to have kids one day. He was convinced he'd be the worst dad ever. He'd panic and have no idea what to do and then his kids wouldn't trust him.

"I want Mommy," Michael cried softly, lower lip trembling as he curled up tighter.

Harry felt complete despair. Of course Michael wanted his mom instead of him. Gemma was amazing with kids and could probably make the maze break apart with her mind to get Michael out safely. Harry, however, wasn't superman. Kids saw that he was weak and exploited it, he was sure. Michael loved him, but there were times that Harry was certain Michael only put up with him because Michael's mommy put up with him. And whenever Michael said he wanted mommy, there was nothing Harry could do to console him.

"Do you need some help?"

Harry turned around, startled at a voice so close to him. He looked down a little and met a pair of bright blue eyes. By the oversized blue polo shirt, Harry could tell it was one of the children's museum workers, a man who looked around Harry's age. Harry felt his throat dry a little; this museum worker looked less like he belonged in a children's museum and more like he belonged in some men's fragrance commercial. Bright eyes, handsome face, floppy brown hair, scruff along his jaw and chin and upper lip. Whoa.

Harry found himself blinking a little like an idiot and saying "what?"

The man raised his eyebrows and smiled a teeny bit, almost as if silently laughing at Harry. "With the kid? Would you like some help?"

Harry blinked. The kid. Michael. Michael was stuck in a climbing maze in the children's museum, and here Harry was gaping like a fish at a cute worker.

"Oh. Er, yeah, I'm having a bit of trouble here," Harry stammered, feeling his face grow hot.

The man smiled and shrugged. "Not to worry. You aren't the first parent today. He won't come down?"

"He says he's stuck, but I think he's just scared to move," Harry sighed, turning back to look at Michael, who was rubbing his eyes with little chubby fists and crying quietly.

The man raised up to his tiptoes and lifted his chin, trying to examine the situation. Harry tried not to find it endearing how short the man was, and of course failed miserably.

"Aha. I see. Do you happen to have any sort of toy he likes? Maybe his blanket?"

Harry blinked, processing this, then pulled Michael's diaper bag off of his shoulder and unzipped it, rummaging around and pulling out a worn stuffed beagle. "Will Skippy help?"

The man grinned. "Skippy will work perfectly."

He took the dog gently and crouched down by the lower entrance to the climbing maze. "Okay, kiddos, make some room for me!”

And all Harry could do was gape as the man managed to squeeze himself through the opening and shuffle over to the nearest way up towards Michael. It was definitely not something Harry could have done—he was much too big. Harry tried not to think of how cute it was that this worker was tiny enough to fit in a small children’s maze. And then of course that was all he could really think about.

“Stuck, Uncle Harry! I want out!” Michael sniffed, taking a shaky deep breath.

Harry looked back up at Michael and smiled his bravest smile. “Yeah, bud. You’re going to get out."

"Stuck!"

"Don't worry, baby. Help is coming," Harry said absently, watching as the man poked up through one of the openings and twisted himself around a little, bending to make room. Even though the man could still fit into it, the playset was still designed for children, not adults.

Harry blinked and nearly passed out as the worker twisted to face away from Harry, bending to reach the next entrance up nearest to Michael. Oh god, how could someone's back be just as attractive as their front? The man had quite the set of curves on him, almost a little bit feminine. Harry shut his eyes and willed himself not to stare at the man's ass, not to look at the man's ass, not to even think about the man's ass. And then of course that was all he could think about, and dammit why did museum workers have to be cute tiny deathly attractive men who were extremely flexible with nice asses--

"What's his name again?"

Harry peeked open one eye and nearly fainted on the spot. The man was peeking over his shoulder, still twisted away. God, Styles, pull it together, he's a museum worker for gods sakes, he's probably straight as a pole anyways, don't creep out the man rescuing your nephew right now.

"Uh, um...uh," Harry stammered for a little bit before willing his brain to function the hell properly, dammit. "He's Michael. Or Mikey."

The man grinned. "Forgot his name, there?"

Harry was sure his face was an extremely embarrassing shade of dark red. "Maybe?"

The man smirked and Harry tried his damnedest not to think about it. "Right. Got it."

And then the worker turned his head away again and stretched his arm up through the hole nearest to Michael, the arm bearing Skippy.

"Psst! Mikey!" The man stage-whispered loud enough for the three-year-old to hear.

Harry looked back up at Michael and saw the boy lift his hands away from his eyes, blinking and sniffing. The boy's eyes lit up and his mouth dropped open.

"Skippy?!" He whispered back, sounding awed.

Harry saw the man grin a little. "Yeah, it's me, buddy." He'd made his voice just a little bit more high-pitched to sound younger.

Michael slowly unfurled and sat flat, staring at his stuffed puppy.

"You're alive?!"

The man made the stuffed dog's head toss a little as he scoffed. "Of course I'm alive. You know I come alive sometimes. You're my best friend!"

Michael grinned and laughed a little and scooted a little closer, reaching out and making grabby hands. "Skippy, oh, Skippy! Come up!"

The man scooted the dog away just a little, just enough so that the little boy could still see him.

"But I'm going down, buddy! Come with me!"

The little boy frowned a little, and Harry crossed his fingers. Please work, please work, please work.

"I'm coming, Skippy!"

"Yay! Follow me, Mikey!"

The man scooted back and stretched out enough to keep the dog visible as Michael stuck his feet through the opening and slowly slid himself down through it to the next level. The man quickly sunk down to the first level again and crouched low enough to keep Skippy in sight.

"Over here, buddy! There's not enough room in here. Come out and you can play with me!"

Michael was still grinning as he slowly crawled over to the next opening where the stuffed puppy was.

"How are you doing that?!" Harry whispered in awe to the worker.

The man grinned. "I've got four little sisters, I've had plenty of practice," he whispered.

"Coming, Skippy!" Michael called out, sticking his little feet into the opening.

The worker quickly scuttled back to the entrance and squeezed out, holding the puppy right by the entrance. "I'm right over here, buddy! I'm going to give your dad--"

"Uncle, I'm his uncle!" Harry whispered quickly.

"--your uncle a big hug! Come join me!"

"Skippy! Uncle Harry!" The boy exclaimed cheerfully, slipping through the opening and crawling towards the entrance.

The man quickly tossed the dog to Harry, and Harry quickly started to hug the dog as Michael climbed out.

"Uncle Harry!" Michael shrilled happily, and Harry grinned and crouched down, sweeping the little boy up into his arms.

"Mikey, Skippy!" Harry exclaimed with joyful dramatics and stood back up, swinging the boy back and forth while he hugged him, grinning as the boy shrieked and giggled. God, was Harry relieved. The storm passed. Crisis had been averted. All was going to be well.

He leaned back and started planting little wet kisses all over Michael's face, and the boy laughed and tried to push his face away.

"Too many kisses, Uncle Harry!" He giggled, making a face.

Harry laughed a little. "Never too many kisses, Mikey! You can never have too many."

The little boy grabbed his dog and looked at it intently. "Skippy?"

Harry sprung into action. "I think it's your turn to play with him and bring him to life."

The little boy frowned. "He's not talking anymore."

"Well, he did say he only talked sometimes."

Harry turned to see the worker smiling at them both. Oh my god, he'd almost forgotten.

Michael huffed. "Too bad."

Harry let the little boy down, never taking his eyes away from the worker. "Go play, bud. Just don't go in the climbing maze anymore, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Harry," the boy replied cheerfully, skip-hopping off with his stuffed dog, his crisis already completely forgotten.

The worker smiled and put his hands in his pockets (and Harry most definitely did not notice how tight the man's black jeans were, no siree he didn't). "Something familiar that they love always works."

"Thank you so much, mate," Harry sighed gratefully. "You're a lifesaver."

The man laughed a little (yet another thing Harry definitely didn't notice) and shrugged. "Nah, I'm just Louis. Nothing special. You could have done it, too, if you could have fit into the maze."

Harry shook his head, taking note of the name. "Not true. I panic when kids panic. You're amazing. Seriously, totally amazing. Superman."

And Harry grinned in triumph as a bright pink blush spread over Louis' cheeks. "That's ridiculous. But I won't stop you if you want to keep going."

Harry grinned. "Psychic powers. An angel. Gift of god. Picture-perfect savior."

"Aw, shucks," Louis blushed even more, grinning. "Really, though, you could have done it."

Harry scoffed and shook his head. "No, I couldn't have."

Louis looked insistent. "Yes, you could have! You've just got to have a little more confidence in yourself. That kid loves you a lot, and he'll listen."

Harry was pretty sure he couldn't stop smiling if he tried. Even though this man was insane, it was still nice to hear.

He extended a hand to Louis. "Harry Styles."

"Louis Tomlinson," the worker answered, eyes sparkling.

And Harry was delighted when they stood there for a while, hand-in-hand, waiting to see who would let go first.

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case you're curious about the climbing maze, this museum was based off of the Duke Energy Children's Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. I grew up playing on that climbing maze.
> 
> I do have more written, but I don't know if I should keep posting. COMMENT! Please let me know how you liked it. You can be a passing stranger. You can hate it. Just LET ME KNOW. I can't fix things if I don't know what's wrong.
> 
> A comment is all I ask. :) Kudos are also appreciated. But comments even more.


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